Last Monday, England defeated Carlos Queiroz’s Iran 6-2 in a game in which, in addition to the huge result, it was marked by the protests of players from both teams before the opening whistle, for various reasons, and by two goals scored by the portista Taremi.
As the Iranian national anthem was played, the Asian players fell silent and took a stand against the Tehran regime related to the case of a 22-year-old girl, Mahsa Amini, who was found dead after being arrested for the so – called the country’s moral police for “inappropriate use” of the Islamic headscarf, mandatory in Iran. A case that has caused one of the largest waves of protest ever in the country.
The Iranian players had already taken the same position on September 27, during a preparatory match in Austria, against Senegal (1-1), even dressed in clothes without any reference to the symbols of Iran.
Before kick-off, it was the turn of the English players to kneel (a ritual in the Premier League) in protest against oppression and racism. The Football Association wanted captain Harry Kane to wear a rainbow bracelet, a symbol of support for gay and LGBT people, victims of discrimination in Qatar, something FIFA denied. But he was wearing a FIFA-approved armband from the “No Discrimination” campaign, which would not be approved until the quarter-finals, but which FIFA brought forward.
The @England players take the knee at the kick-off#Three Lions 🇧🇷 #FIFA world cup pic.twitter.com/dBszoUJym7
– ITV Football (@itvfootball) November 21, 2022
As for the game, Carlos Queiroz’s team suffered a setback in the first minutes – goalkeeper Beiranvand, who already represented Boavista, had to be substituted on 20 minutes after a head-on collision with a teammate.
In a one-way game, England already led 3-0 at half-time, with goals from Bellingham (35′), Saka (43′) and Sterling (45’+1). It should be noted that Jude Bellingham, who scored his debut for England, became the third youngest ever footballer to score in the closing stages for the Three Lions.
In the second half, Saka scored twice in the 62nd minute and FC Porto striker Mehdi Taremi narrowed it down in the 65th minute with a first shot after an assist from Gholizadeh. However, Queiroz’s team were unable to counter the greater strength and massive attacking avalanche from the English, and Rashford made it 5–1 in the 71st minute.
Before the end, in another great moment for the English, who showed their title ambitions in this World Cup, Grealish scored the sixth. But there was still time for Taremi to double up, from the penalty spot, in a penalty validated by VAR.
SEE GAME STATISTICS HERE.
Source: DN
